STONER MOUNTAIN BLOG

26 December, 2017

Wedge have confirmed a February 9th release date for their second album, Killing Tongue. The album will be released via Heavy Psych Sounds and to promote Killing Tongue, the German retro-rockers have shared a video for Lucid.

The band offers some comment on the track - "Lucid is about a certain state of dreaming in which you become aware that you are dreaming. It's called "lucid dreaming" and it requires training in order to obtain this ability. Once you master it, you can do virtually anything within your dreams ...which can be pretty psychedelic ...or scary, dependent on what you're up to. The video was shot in Leipzig by some dear friends of ours."

25 December, 2017

I think that Winter Moon is one of the highlights of the current Australian indie scene. I have been a fan ever since I heard the Lucid Dreaming EP, and every time when I thought their music couldn’t get any better... it does!

You Got Me is a beautiful, haunting song. If you enjoy soulful music with a hint of blues throw in, this is for you. The vocals are fantastic. From the beginning to the very end, Molly's voice gives you goosebumps.

This is the type of song you won't want to stop listening to, it is just that good. Can't wait for a full-length album!

24 December, 2017

To all my wonderful readers and followers, and fans of our favourite music genres everywhere, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a joyous holiday season. May 2018 bring you good health, wealth, peace, happiness and of course even more awesome music.

12 December, 2017

A couple news from Finnish fuzz rockers Kaiser. The band premieres first ever video and announces the album from whence it comes. 1st Sound, the follow up to their 2014 self-titled debut EP, is set for release near April of 2018.

03 December, 2017

DESERTFEST LONDON are thrilled to reveal the bands taking part in the festival's annual Old Empire stage, that will be hosted on Friday 4th May at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.

Old Empire is now a household name in the London scene, working across an array of acts, venues and cities - we are stoked the heaviest crew, and our favorite drinking buddies, are back in the fold to bring us a stage with some of their most treasured bands! Taking place on the hallowed ground of the Electric Ballroom on May 4th, Old Empire gives you the lowdown below…

For the first time in DF history, Friday will see two headliners sprawled across town – with Swedish stalwarts GRAVEYARD making their long-awaited return to London at the iconic Koko, we had to rustle up something of equal measure. An act we have wanted to book across the festival since our first year of involvement, it’s a true honour to announce that British trailblazers of the extreme NAPALM DEATH are the headline act for the OE ritual – their influence on the world of heavy music is undeniable and hard to truly fathom. Never one to disappoint live, a set of insanity is upon us.

Our second artist comes in a wave of God-like reverence to Old Empire, a master of his craft – Patrick Walkers’ WARNING will bring the Electric Ballroom to its knee’s. One of the most poignant and genuinely dark British doom bands of all time, ‘Watching from a Distance’ is a masterpiece of the highest order. Having reformed for Roadburn 2017, we are thrilled WARNING will be joining us in London - all should know and all should follow.

Next up is an act that needs little introduction to the world of Desertfest, and one who perfectly embody the spirit of the Empire – the mighty EYEHATEGOD make their long-awaited return. A little bit heavy metal, a whole bunch of venom and buckets of dirty groove – we’re all well aware of the party that ensues when these NOLA legends hit the stage, so it felt about damn time to bring ‘em back!

Another familiar face to the London scene comes in the form of WINTERFYLLETH. Hitting the Old Empire spectrum back in 2011, the Mancunian quartet have since consistently impressed with their unique and anthemic take on black metal. Helping to round of proceedings is FIVE THE HIEROPHANT, whose dark jazz soundscapes and eclectically heavy, yet perfectly refined, mix of sounds will make the live debut at Desertfest 2018. Alongside newbies to the scene ACDX - equal parts Isis, Hawkwind and Opeth. The dictionary definition of this Essex group would simply say, ‘indefinable’.

Old Empire & Desertfest are beyond excited to be brothers in arms once again; we hope our assorted and all-embracing heavy picks have hit the palette in the most satisfying and exciting of ways. ~ Purple Sage PR

Desertfest London 20184th-6th May in Camden Town, London3-day pass now on sale AT THIS LOCATION

25 September, 2017

The Italian stoner doom metal trio Black Capricorn premieres new music video for Evil Horde of Lucifer, to promote their upcoming LP Omega, that will be released on November 2 by Stone Stallion Rex on a double black vinyl. Careful how loudly you play it - I could see it blowing speakers!

27 August, 2017

Duel is staying busy! The Texan hard-rockers will play 30 dates across 9 countries later this year, which is already their fourth European tour. The band is further on supporting its fantastic latest effort, Witchbanger. They’ll kick off the run of 30 shows in Pisa on November 10 and wrap up in Rome on December 9. You can check out the dates and details below.

Heavy Psych Sounds Records is happy to announce the upcoming repress of DUEL's sold out debut "Fears of the Dead". Their newly released album "Witchbanger" is still available here.

Hailing from the sun-baked lands of Austin, TX, DUEL is a heavy metal four-piece who casts hard-rocking spells of doom, blistering licks and horror from behind a thick haze of smoke. Formed by two ex-members of Scorpion Child and hugely influenced by the darkness of late 60's and early 70’s metal, these purists cut it right to the bone with heavy, deep grooves and blistering tunes.

After they released their well-acclaimed debut "Fears Of The Dead" in February 2016 on Heavy Psych Sounds, DUEL are back with their even more raging full-length, cheekily entitled "Witchbanger", due out April 28th, 2017. The album was produced and engineered by lead guitarist Jeff Henson at his Red Nova Ranch studio in the wastelands of Texas, not far from the historic Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. ~ Purple Sage PR

26 August, 2017

Last year, R.I.P. took the doom metal scene by surprise with an excellent debut album, In The Wind, and now they're already back with a brand new record, called Street Reaper. Well, maybe not exactly now because the album is set for release on 13 October. As for now, to build up hype for the new album, you can listen to two songs from Street Reaper.

24 August, 2017

"UK's most fire-driven progressive metal quintet OHHMS have announced a significant batch of festival and club shows to take place in Europe this fall. Not to be missed."

The group’s Fall 2017 tour begins at Mammothfest in Philadelphia on October 8. OHHMS then plays at Desertfest Belgium in Antwerp on October 14. From there, the British doom rockers bring the tour to Copenhagen (DK), Dusseldorf (DE), Stuttgart (DE), Oberhausen (DE) and Leeuwarden (NL) ahead of their tour-closing show in Haarlem (NL) on November 21.

Armed with the thickest riffs and fieriest will, OHHMS formed in 2014 in Kent, UK. It didn't take long for the five-piece to come up with two stellar EPs "Bloom" (2014) and "Cold" (2015), both released on London-based extreme music powerhouse Holy Roar Records. Clocking in at over thirty minutes, each EP unfolds with two monolithic, angst-ridden tracks, blending the down-tuned approach of doom metal with more progressive, eerier landscapes. On top of this distinctive approach in songwriting, vocalist Paul Waller maintains maximum adrenaline levels by alternating sumptuously deep gravelly singing, his warrior bellows and roar-is-war call to arms. ~ Purple Sage PR

31 July, 2017

Welcome to the fifth issue of Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries. As you can see, time is still not on my side. I drift between projects like an Alzheimer’s patient, so it's some kind of small wonder that I am able to focus enough to even create this list. Also, sorry guys for not responding to your emails and messages lately. This instalment features a lot of recent discoveries (actually by 'recent discoveries' what I really mean is 'discoveries made over almost two months ago' xd) from countries like Germany, France, Russia, USA, Brazil and Venezuela.

17 June, 2017

Summer's here and RidingEasy Records bands are hitting the road! Here's a quick list of dates for bands currently on the road. Many more tours to be announced soon for other RidingEasy bands in the coming months, including Monolord and Shooting Guns. See all dates below. ~ US / THEM group

18 May, 2017

Such sad news, I still can hardly believe it isn't a hoax. Chris Cornell was one of my teenage “heroes” and his music was a massive part of me. I feel like a little piece of my childhood just died. He was truly one of the best, most dynamic singers around, a musical talent not to be replaced. Thank you for all the amazing music and inspiration you gave us.

06 May, 2017

The Swedish band Honeymoon Disease have unleashed their new music video for the vinyl seven-inch single Electric Eel. It was directed by Max Ljungberg and it's Honeymoon Disease's first new material since the release of their 2015 debut The Trancendencee. Electric Eel follows the typical Honeymoon Disease cadence of bombastic retro rock rooted in the classic sounds of the 70s. Another grand testament to the incredibly healthy state of Swedish retro rock.

Also, they’ll be back in studio this summer to record their next album. The new album is set for an early fall release on The Sign Records.

06 May, 2017

I’m a real sucker for catchy music like this, tunes that will have your feet tapping and singing along to their infectious melodies. So when I received this album for review - I just had to do it.

In six songs and twenty-five and a half minutes, Midday Moonlight treats the listener to a brand of nearly perfectly executed blues rock. It has a great variety of sounds, electric blues, delta, americana and just good old rock and roll, and yet they all fit Blackbird Hill. As you listen to each track, you'll find it hard to pick a clear favourite. All of the songs are equally good. The guitar hooks are where it's at. There's a lot of really bouncy riffs that sound like they’d make for a big, sweaty blast of fun in concert. The drumming is simple, yet masterful and ripe with subtle technique.

The EP starts out fantastic with Trigger Law. A song that channels the spirit of Jimi Hendrix with its raucous riffs and an almost hip-hop sounding drum beat. It's hard to get this out of your head for the rest of the day. Next up is Horseback Sight. It's a mellow, moody song that hits all the right notes. The third number, Run Like Mad, is an energetic song that is very simple and straightforward, but also probably the catchiest number on the record. Stories From The Road shows that the band is able to stretch a song out to without losing any steam or having those listening lose interest, as even at eight minutes, it's as captivating at the end as it is at the beginning. Second to last is Hold Your Fire, which is a catchy, upbeat and sweet track. The very first few bars, the intro to this song, reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth's Cool Thing. Then comes the final track, Midday Moonlight. This gorgeous song begins with a slamming opening chord that is catchy and resonant. It has the most passionate vocal performance on the album. Also, the fuzz dial here is obviously set to '11'!

With so many bands trying so hard to do something new, it's nice to have a duo like Blackbird Hill to prove that good old-fashioned blues rock can still beat the socks off any trendy new style. Midday Moonlight has its flaws but it is certainly a great effort.

05 May, 2017

Samsara Blues Experiment, one of German's finest psychedelic stoner rock band, is about to embark on a new tour throughout Europe starting May 12, that includes stops in Hamburg, Paris, Athens, Reykjavik and several other cities. The band goes on tour to promote their new album One With The Universe (Listen in full HERE), which will be released May 12 on Electric Magic Records (in cooperation with World in Sound Records).

03 May, 2017

If you’re looking for some rock’n’roll, you should definitely listen to Blackbird Hill. If you’re not, you probably should anyway. Blackbird Hill is the band of two guys from Bordeaux, Alexis Dartiguelongue and Maxime Conan. They make sweet nuggets of heavy blues rock that worms in your ears and stays there. You can taste it while listening to the title track from the upcoming album Midday Moonlight. Now the band has also unveiled a music video for that song. Watch it above.

With "Midday Moonlight", French power duo BLACKBIRD HILL take you on an exhilarating ride throughout America's wide open spaces, for a six-track journey made of telluric blues riffs and organic folk tales. Sometimes howling, always soulful, their sincere take on Delta blues mythology will appeal and intrigue you, like an outtake off a modern western duel between Jack White and Wovenhand. The artwork for this new 6-track record "Midday Moonlight" was designed by Ita Duclair.

01 May, 2017

Ripple Music's West Coast dealers of heavy riffage ZED are joining forces with East Coast hard rockers Wasted Theory to take the Lone Star State by force this May. And when these two forces meet, you better be ready for some Hard and Heavy Rockin! Known as the ‘Trippin’ Through Texas‘ tour, the two bands will devastate the 4 biggest cities, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, along with some of the best bands Texas has to offer, such as Wo Fat, Greenbeard, White Dog and more!

ZED bassist Mark Aceves says "We are super excited to finally bring our sound to our friends and fans in Texas, it's been a long time coming, especially for me being that I'm originally from Texas. It's going to be like a homecoming! And to be able to share the stage with such great bands and dudes like Wasted Theory, Wo Fat and others just adds to how killer it will be. ~ Ripple Music"

01 May, 2017

Welcome to another issue of Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries. It's been a while since the last one. Maybe it should be renamed 'Monthly Bandcamp Discoveries'?... Heh... Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I don't have a lot of free time lately and I don't expect things to change anytime soon. That's why this issue contains only eight entries. It's a mix of some recent discoveries, and some older material. This time you’ll find artists from France, Italy, USA, South Africa and Russia.

18 April, 2017

Doctor Cyclops has announced the UK and European tour in support of their new album Local Dogs. The band has already performed two dates across Italy, but there are still plenty more gigs to come. Find a full list of tour dates below.

Doctor Cyclops is a power trio delivering a blistering heavy rock rejuvenating the legacy of the '70s and early '80s. The band formed in 2007 in a small village in the middle of Appennino mountains, Northern Italy. Their common passion for brilliant outfits such as Truth and Janey, Sir Lord Baltimore, Captain Beyond or Witchfinder General lead them to record and self-produce their first EP “The Doctor Cyclops” (2010), which is quickly followed by two full-lengths: “Borgofondo” (2012) and “Oscuropasso” (2014).

17 April, 2017

Saint Vitus once sang, White magic, black magic, which am I to choose? But Sweden's Alastor didn't have any doubts, they knew exactly what to choose for their debut EP.

Well, I just got done listening to about thirty-four minutes of music. That's, of course, nothing out of the ordinary, but this album/EP compresses that much music into just three songs. Luckily, Alastor makes the most of the time and delivers a quality EP. This is exactly the type of record where you pay no attention to song length, and just allow yourself to be entranced into Alastor's world. And I can guarantee you, you will not want to leave.

The guitar playing on here ranges from heavy-as-fuck doom metal to spacey, psychedelic sounding riffs and the vocals are sung in the background, like an old Black Sabbath record. These elements blend to create the incredible atmosphere of these tracks. The songs have an overall spooky, formidable tone and tomb-like mists that slip subliminally into the listener's ear.

The opener, Enemy, is well over eleven minutes and features a long, atmospheric Sleep-esque intro leading into the massive main riff. The song has good groove and powerful presence, supreme mini-solos, long solos and great clean vocals. The next song, Nothing To Fear, is straight to the point and full of energy. The end riff here is simply stunning. Impressive as the first two songs are, it's the third, Black Magic, where Alastor really shines. To be clear though, I can't turn Black Magic loud enough. This song will get stuck it your head for indeterminable amounts of time and there is nothing you can do about it. The title track opens with a bulky Weedeater-like riff, quickly opening into another Electric Wizard/Windhand-style riff. It's a truly freaked out song with mighty vocals and with some of the most epic, monolithic riffing you'll hear on the album.

Overall, Black Magic is nothing groundbreaking, but with it, Alastor has made an amazingly competent stoner doom album. It's fat and melodic in the right places. It will be stuck in your head for a while, I assure you that.

07 April, 2017

Canterbury-based progressive sludgers Ohhms have unveiled the new video to their track ‘The World’. Vocalist Paul Waller gives a bit of background about this new song:

Lyrically, ‘The World’ is a character study of a friend of mine who was so overcome by conspiracy theories that he couldn’t function in the world any longer. He began to lose his mind and was deemed by a shrink to be unfit to work because he was delusional. It started small, with a few YouTube videos about NASA and Chem-Trails but within six months he was telling me how the Earth was flat and that I was a part of the sheeple movement because I wasn’t willing to do research myself into his claims.

I don’t judge him, people that are heavily into organised religion seem just as bizarre to me, but what I found fascinating was the way in which all his friends and family turned their back on him, he would have been better off telling them he had become a full-time smack head. At least they would have had a point of reference to relate to him with. As it stands he is all alone in the world now and I don’t see him as much but when I do, it’s never boring, I'll tell you that.

The UK natives will be on tour with Hark and Bossk this spring. Check out the tour dates below:

06 April, 2017

Great news for fans of The Hazytones – mark your calendars for April and May. Well... at least if you live somewhere near Canada, because The Hazytones continue to promote their much-praised self-titled debut album and have recently announced their Canadian tour dates. You can check out the dates below.

The Hazytones are a stoner rock group founded in 2015 in Montreal. The trio stuns the audience with their stage presence and intensity. Riff after riff, the group is known for their fat sound and heavy, overdriven saturation.

The band features the powerful voice and guitar playing of Mick Martel (former founding member of Madcooks), the accuracy of drummer Antoine St-Germain (current member of God Bless America) and the rigor of the bassist Frederic Couture (former founding member of Reckless Ride).

05 April, 2017

Grajo is a band that needs to be talked about much more. The Córdoba-based doom metal act quietly released a pristine sounding full-length debut in 2016 to only sporadic acclaim, but it's deserving of much more widespread praise. Their recent two-track split EP with Orthodox is an occasion to remind you of this band. An occasion too good to be missed!

This split starts off with Grajo's Black Thunder Witch, by far the better song on the record. It's fresh and incredibly catchy. Grajo's music is heavy, poppy, psychedelic and sounds like a modern-day Saint Vitus. A very hard thing to explain is the excellent sounding vocals. Liz's vocals are truly unforgettable, bold but yet very soft, love listening to her beautiful voice! She also provided guest vocals on Orthodox's track. Grajo has proven themselves yet again to be extremely promising.

Sevilla's Orthodox contribute the second half of the split and while solid, have a hard time matching the awesomeness of the first song. The band did a cover of Neil Young's War of Man. And if riding first impressions, it'd be easy to say that the song sounds like it was recorded by the Melvins. So basically what we have here are some thick, powerful riffs instead of Neil Young's soft, acoustic tune.

But overall, this split is a very good release. It's definitely something everyone should pick up; both bands are worth your support and attention.

29 March, 2017

Bongzilla is ready to return on the stage: after announcing their long awaited reunion in 2015, and after playing some shows in 2015 and 2016, the stoner doom legend is about to embark on a month-long tour of Europe, which will see the group play over 30 shows. The band will perform their legendary Gateway in its entirety at Roadburn Festival!

Want to catch the band in concert while they tour Europe? Then check out the tour dates below.

27 March, 2017

Black Rainbows is a tireless and dedicated band that has been making energetic stoner rock for more than 10 years. And in case you were busy on March 24th of this year, chances are you probably missed Black Rainbows’ new single entitled The Red Sky Above. It's a must have for anyone that enjoys good fuzzy stoner rock music.

This brand new song from BLACK RAINBOWS was recorded during their last tour in January 2017, in a cool studio surrounded by snowy mountains in the north of Italy. "The Red Sky Above" is six minutes of pure, fuzzy, groovy, stoner frenzy. With this new single, the trio shows a subtle shift toward a darker and heavier sound. "The Red Sky Above" is exclusively issued as part of the "Heavy Psych Sounds Sampler Vol. 2", available at this location.

25 March, 2017

Anyone still pondering who to see and when over the upcoming Desertfest London festival can now take a look at the full line-up and set times. Just click here.

Get your notepads ready, as DESERTFEST LONDON have finally announced the stage times for their sixth edition, taking place April 28-30th in Camden!

It's finally that time of year; the last pit stop on the way to Desertfest 2017. We have those all important stage times at the ready. Were you worried about Steak clashing with Lowrider? Did you wonder if you'd be able to run to The Underworld for Samsara Blues Experiment after Sleep? Now you'll be able to answer all clash-based worries. To help planning your weekend, the festival put together a very helpful Clashfinder timetable.

The festival kicks off in 6 weeks time and tickets are selling at a rapid rate – under 200 weekend passes and only 50 Saturday tickets left! We also have limited spaces left on our hotel packages at Camden Lock Hotel and just 4 beds left at Smart Hostel Camden. Find out more about accommodations here. ~ Info from Purple Sage PR

"The band wanted a video for their song 'Nebulizer' and suggested that it should have some kind of extraterrestrial storyline. So we thought up a narrative with an inverse alien abduction done by a group of manipulative scientists," said the video's director, Derek Quint. "Someone gets pregnant and there's a cover-up. The alien protagonist gets sucked into some people problems on Earth right from the get-go which, in my imagination, is probably what would happen anyway." ~ Addovolt Productions

18 March, 2017

Monarch and Birushanah have just announced plans to team up this spring for a two-week long European tour dubbed Distort Europe. The two-headed tour will kick off at Bordeaux’s Void muscic club on March 30, then hit more than a dozen cities across the continent, before closing out April 15 in Toulouse.

Beware, as extreme doom unit MONARCH is gearing up for their spring European tour with Birushanah...

France's most active and emblematic drone/doom metal purveyors MONARCH have announced a batch of dates with Japanese tribal doomers Birushanah, with whom they will soon release a split record on MusicFearSatan. MONARCH are also currently putting the finishing touches to their new full-length, to be unleashed later in the year. ~ Purple Sage PR

13 March, 2017

First of all, sorry I haven't written a blog post in so many days, but I have been preoccupied with work.

You know who loves a good list? Every single one of you. So here's a new list of Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries. From Finnish stoner rock to Mexican dark jazz, here are 11 discoveries I made this past week. For the first time, there's no black metal album closing the list. I just couldn't find anything interesting.

07 March, 2017

The Texan doom metal band Duel just announced their European tour in support of their upcoming album Witchbanger, which has been tabbed for a April 28th release (pre-orders from March 17th on Heavy Psych Sounds). The album was produced and engineered by lead guitarist Jeff Henson at his Red Nova Ranch studio.

Formed by two ex-members of Scorpion Child, these purists cut it right to the bone with heavy, deep grooves and blistering tunes. After their well-acclaimed debut "Fears Of The Dead" released in February 2016, DUEL are back with an even more raging full-length on Heavy Psych Sounds, cheekily entitled "Witchbanger". Prepare for Hell or Valhalla, from start to finish this carefully-crafted album WILL KILL YOU!

The tour kicks off April 26th in Rome, winding down on May 21st in Castel D'Ario. Look over the complete list of currently announced dates below.

06 March, 2017

Steve Brown, better known as Dandy Brown, is a music producer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the following bands: Hermano and Orquesta del Desierto. A couple of years ago, he started a new music project under the moniker Dandy Brown and released a great album in 2015 called Damned To The Heels Of Success.>/p>

Keep an eye out for the band's untitled second album coming later this year on Taxi Driver Records. But until then, enjoy Dandy Brown's music video for the new song - The Bees. The video was directed by Tyler Geeson and released on March 1st.

04 March, 2017

The 2017 420 Music & Arts Festival line-up has been announced! It's a mix of stoner rock, desert rock, doom and sludge metal from around Canada + the Texan stoner masters Wo Fat. Find more details about the festival from the press release below.

The 420 Music & Arts Festival is a three day celebration featuring 22 Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Doom & Sludge Metal and Fuzzy, Kick Ass Rock n Roll bands surrounding the culture that is 420. Headlining this inaugural year all the way from Dallas, TX for their first Canadian performance, stoner legends WO FAT, Vancouver’s ANCIIENTS and Edmonton/ Vancouver based BLACK MASTIFF.

In addition to all the rad music, festival attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase the work of select local artists, artisans and craftsman at the 420 Expo, Saturday, April 22 at Distortion from 10am-4pm. Interspersed with vendors of interesting and eclectic wares will be information on medical marijuana and hemp products and even more 420 enthusiasts. Select vendors, artists and marijuana related companies will be available in the evenings at the festival as well. NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) will be in attendance to answer questions.

You will be able to indulge your desire for munchies with a variety delectable culinary creations from some of Southern Alberta’s best food trucks. If that isn’t enough, each night of the festival there will be an opportunity to show off your glorious facial hair in our beard contest. Celebrity judges will decide who moves onto the final round on the last night of the festival where one beard will rule them all! ~ ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

03 March, 2017

What were the odds? The first band from Portugal on Stoner Mountain and already a strong contender for my album of the year. I just can't stop listening to it over and over again. Her Name Was Fire is a desert rock duo based in Lisbon consisting of João Campos, guitar & vocals, and Tiago Lopes, drums. This is the recently formed band's first full-length and follows their EP, EP 1, which was released last year.

Her Name Was Fire is a small band with a big sound. They draw inspiration from such legends as Queens of the Stone Age, Black Keys, Kyuss and Alice In Chains to create electrifying compositions based around the blues and stoner rock. They take everything that's good in those genres to make the best out of it, creating addictive and groovy songs with a high-repeat listening potential. Passion and haunting melodies pour from the speakers as they are adept at producing catchy hooks. They also know when to hold back and when to unleash a torrent of sound. The songs take all of the duo's strong points to a pinnacle, as the guitar lines race up and down a memorable drum beat, all set to gritty vocals that will stick with you for quite some time after listening.

There is absolutely nothing disappointing about this record or this band. From the opening chords of Little Pain to the last tune that is So Long Starman, Her Name Was Fire's debut album Road Antics is easily one of the most surprising releases of the last months. My ears are pleased with this refreshing debut. I can't stress again how great this album is. In my opinion one of the best records out this year, and probably awesome live too. Do yourselves a favour and get your hands on it and I dare you not to put in on repeat all day.

27 February, 2017

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Demon Head planted a flag for Danish vintage doom when they released their critically acclaimed debut, ‘Ride The Wilderness’ in 2015. Now, the band will release their second album ‘Thunder On The Fields’. It's coming out on April 7 through The Sign Records. Before then, the band has released a music video for the song 'Hic Svnt Dracones'. It's a marvellous track. At times it sounds like something between Pentagram and Danzig. Watch the video above.

HIC SVNT DRACONES is a heavy anthem with a burning drive. The song is about throwing off the shackles that wear us down, daring to go were the maps have white spots. Follow the sinister leads and groove to a place between borderland and underworld...

Demon Head got the "Fenriz band of the week" approval in january 2017 with the release of the bands first single 'Gallows Omen" from the upcoming album 'Thunder On The Fields'. Demon Head will tour UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and mainland europe upon the release.

25 February, 2017

Ready for a new portion of cool records? Once again, here are 11 records from over the past couple weeks, from French stoner metal to British black metal. As I mentioned last time, most of them deserve a separate review, but I just don't have the time to do that, so at least I can give'em some recognition. BTW. This issue of Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries has been brought to you by the tag 'Heavy Psych'.

22 February, 2017

When it comes to psychedelic stoner rock, Samsara Blues Experiment is one of the finest bands out there. The German band last released an album in 2013 with Waiting For The Flood, so they kept us waiting a long time. But finally, the trio announces the new album One with the Universe. Check out the announcement below.

Prepare to welcome the return of Germany's heavy psych blues trio SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT, with the release of their new album this May 12th on Electric Magic Records and a full European and South American tour this spring!

SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT's fourth 'full piece of wax' "One with the Universe“ is a culmination of all their works and truly a hard hitting cosmic invitation for floating into their universe of spiritual progression. The most evolutionary development compared to previous albums is the cosmic usage of analog synthesizers, keyboards and effects, while not losing focus on catchiness and well-rendered songwriting.

These five new epics subtly integrate flashes from Jimi Hendrix´ "Electric Ladyland“, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, with Canterbury Prog elements à la Caravan and the fuzzed-out riffs of Kyuss. "One with the Universe“ can not be put just into one genre: it is a multifaceted heavy rock album with tons of soul, courage and originality!

SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT

New album "One With The Universe"

Out May 12th on Electric Magic Records

TRACK LISTING:

1. Vipassana (10:43)

2. Sad Guru Returns (7:55)

3. Glorious Daze (6:01)

4. One with the Universe (15:03)

5. Eastern Sun & Western Moon (7:09)

SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT (SBE) are a German three-piece who channel their musical forms in extended forays of blues-infused heavy psychedelia. Founded in 2007 by guitarist/singer Christian Peters, the group plays a mixture of stoner rock, psychedelic blues, Indian raga, thrash metal and traditional folk. The lineup is completed by bass player Hans Eiselt and drummer Thomas Vedder.

SBE have played some of the major festivals on the European and North American ground, rocking Hellfest, Austin Psych Levitation, Psycho California, Devilstone, Reverence Valada, several times at Desertfest London and Berlin, and many others events including headlining spots at scene festivals across Europe. ~ Purple Sage PR

21 February, 2017

Hateure is a doom, sludge, post-metal influenced band that hails from the Philippines. Erase This is actually a single, ten minutes long, track. It's a re-recorded version of the track If you are searching for meaning, erase this now. I’m meaningless. Repeat, a special release to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary.

This is the heaviest record put out in a long time. Hateure plays hard, slow, and very uncompromising. The songwriting sucks you into a gaping black hole of integrity never letting you go, and always keeping it interesting. For the most part, the lyrics will disturb the average listener with some dark pieces.

Overall, Hateure has delivered a quite promising, gloomy EP. Erase This hits hard and deep. It's the real dark side of sludge doom, captured on a single track. A full-length release is coming up this year and I for one can't wait.

21 February, 2017

Watch the making of The Sonic Dawn's second album Into The Long Night, due out April 21st on Heavy Psych Sounds... and enjoy new song "Summer Voyage" all throughout the video!

New album Into the Long Night was written and recorded during a month of isolation in a remote house by The North Sea. Filmmaker Bolette Søs got a glimpse of the creative process during one of the last recording sessions. CLICK HERE to watch.

The Sonic Dawn is a trip – a psychedelic blend of styles, from jazzy sitar pop to heavy acid rock. The Copenhagen trio offers melodic songs infused with a '60s West Coast flavor, laced with dreamy vocals and delivered with an explosive stage presence. Since the release of their acclaimed debut "Perception" in 2015 (Nasoni Records), the Danish rockers have been caught on several European tours, which highlight was the Freak Valley Festival's opening in 2016, who had them sharing the stage with Graveyard and White Hills. This year again, they are confirmed to play the best venues and festivals, such as Liverpool Psych Fest. ~ Purple Sage PR

20 February, 2017

Superfang is a fresh blues/stoner/retro rock band hailing from Norfolk, USA. The band was formed in 2013 by childhood friends Daniel Brunner and brothers Chris and Joey Hoffman. Finally, everyone can enjoy their music, because Superfang released their debut EP, King of the Mountain.

I'm quite pleased with this EP. It's good rock n roll with a cool bluesy sound here and there. Nice raw guitar and sound. King of the Mountain has a very 70's feel to it. In parts, it reminds me of early Pentagram and Cream, and at times I heard direct influences from the Black Keys. Something about the catchy melodies, the sound, the groove, the riffs, the energy. Like The Black Keys with the stoner rock touch. You get only four track, but at least there is not a bad song in the bunch.

In other words, it's a great record. Excellent new music on this first release of the band. King of the Mountain begins with the song Texas! and that alone is worth the price of the EP, but as you listen to each track you'll find it hard to pick a clear favourite, and you will also have trouble keeping your finger off the repeat button!

19 February, 2017

The British doom metal trio, Conan, has announced a European tour for March. Countries featured as part of the tour include the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. You can check out the dates and details below.

17 February, 2017

Can't wait for Desertfest to begin? Why not start the party early at this year's official pre-show. We've invited doom duo Wretch and Iron Void to kick things off on Thursday 27th April at The Black Heart. For tickets and more info, visit the website.

Indiana's Wretch should be well known to doomster's everywhere. Formed by ex-The Gates of Slumber mainstay, Karl Simon, after the doom favourites called it quits in 2013, Wretch still bring the doom, though from a slightly different slant. More focused and traditional in their approach to the slow and heavy, Wretch, may be closer in some respects to Saint Vitus than they are to The Gates of Slumber.

Joining them are Wakefield's Iron Void; proud champions of Yorkshire doom metal. Similarly anchored in trad doom, though with a little more bounce, Iron Void's self-titled debut feels ripped from the late 70s / early 80s.

16 February, 2017

Welcome to my new series - Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries. The name is pretty self-explanatory. I'll be posting my Bandcamp discoveries every week. Here are 11 records from over the past two weeks that you should check out. From French stoner rock to Amercian black metal, here are some of the choicest records from around the world. Most of them deserve a separate review, but I just don't have the time to do that, so at least I can give'em some recognition.

13 February, 2017

Svartanatt is a five-piece retro-rock band and probably the brightest hope of the Swedish retro rock scene. They have just released their fantastic debut full-length album in 2016 and now they return with a brand new single, Killer On The Loose. Also, the band is ready to show Spain what they’re made of. They will play there six shows and then return to Sweden to play six more gigs. Check out the tour dates and the single below:

12 February, 2017

Árida is a female-fronted power duo from Madrid, Spain. Despertar is their debut album and it was released as a digital download on November 28. The CD version was released December 23 via Nooirax Producciones. I have been listening to this album recently, especially if by 'recently' what I actually mean is 'every day since last two weeks, often multiple times in a row'. So, it's finally time to write the review.

Árida creates an intense atmosphere with mixing desert rock, alternative rock, and 90's riot grrrl styles to record ten dope songs featuring the explosive vocals and guitar playing of Sara Uve and the hard hitting drumming of Javi Puértolas. With a sound focused on energetic vocals and fast tempos, they manage to combine the grooviness of Dozer with the angriness of Heavens To Betsy and the catchiness of Le Tigre.

Despertar is a great album with powerful Spanish vocals that you will love immediately and put on repeat for weeks. Would recommend this one to anyone that's looking for a different yet familiar sound. This is just what I'd like to hear more often on the European desert rock scene. Be sure to check out their two EPs Un día en la línea del oeste and Cenizas!

11 February, 2017

Dunbarrows' self-titled debut album was one of my favourite releases from 2016, just check out my Best of 2016 list. Now the Norwegian retro doomsters have signed to RidingEasy Records, which hopefully will give them further recognition. The Los Angeles-based label will reissue the band's self-titled album worldwide with a special die-cut sleeve and insert for the LP. Also, it will be on CD for the first time ever!

Dunbarrow will be available on CD on March 10th, 2017 and LP in May via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.

09 February, 2017

These guys are tough. They have a skeleton on their album cover, so beware! Nah, I'm just kidding. Or am I? Not much is known about Slund. They are from Slovenia, this is apparently their debut album and it was released yesterday. Anyway, I just listened to the whole album and it's much better than I expected.

If you experience night terrors and struggle with how to get rid of nightmares, then... The Call Of Agony is not gonna help. It's pure musical terror. It's violent, vicious and intense. High-pitched screams and high-pitched growls are buried in a mess of bulky, massive guitars and bass, merely acting as another layer in a thick attack. At times it's slow, doomy and at other times it's a ultra-fast, grindcore-ish madness. I think it sounds like Eyehategod meets Mortician and Agoraphobic Nosebleed, but who knows?

There's enough going on here to make Slund's The Call Of Agony worth a listen. However, this music is definitely not for everyone; some people will get it, others don't. Consider yourself forewarned.

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